Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Simply SCANDALicious!

It was a rainy and traffic jam-packed Saturday in Kuala Lumpur but nothing was going to stop hordes of fans from catching popular Japanese pop-rock group SCANDAL’s inaugural concert in Malaysia. Japanese bands seldom make it to this part of the globe, so it was a real treat to welcome the SCANDALous outfit consisting lead vocalist Ono Haruna, bassist Ogawa Tomomi, lead guitarist Sasazaki Mami and drummer Suzuki Rina.

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Held at KL Live, the 'SCANDAL Special: LIVE in Malaysia 2012’ concert was in line with the 30th Anniversary of the Look East Policy between Japan and Malaysia. As a huge fan myself, it was indeed a wonderful opportunity to have the opportunity to cover the concert thanks to my friends at Rentak Sejuta.

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Excited fans came from all corners of Malaysia, and even those hailing all the way from Japan! Many lined up outside from as early as morning in hopes of snatching up sweet spots in the free-standing hall. "At long last, the queens are here!," one delighted fan exclaimed.

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After a brief opening act by our very own talented Haoto, it was finally time for the main event. Armed with a battalion of multi-colored glowsticks, the fans started cheering even when the crew did a sound check with what was clearly Haruna’s glittery skull-adorned guitar.

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Many, like fans from international fan forum SCANDAL HEAVEN, came with large message-scribbled banners, while some hardcore Japanese supporters were equipped with official towels and wristbands, all hoping to gain the attention of their favourite SCANDAL members.

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Needless to say, the crowd went wild as the fabulous four took over the stage and fired it up with hard-hitting Rock'n Roll.  

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The girls then followed-up with fan-favourite hit Shunkan Sentimental, which saw the crowd singing along enthusiastically to every word.

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Fans cheered even louder  the moment they heard the opening riffs to Queens are trumps,  the title track of the band's latest album. 

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After a brief break, the girls went on to play Shōujo S, made popular by the anime Bleach. They continued with the enthusiastic Rising Star and slightly slower, emotional Bitter Chocolate, in which Tomomi took the lead.

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Half of their hard-rocking song list consisted of newer tracks from Queens are trumps. Fans were supportive, chanting during the fast tracks, waving glowsticks in synchrony and singing along to almost every song.

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Mami then took over on vocals with the much-loved Koe, much to the delight of the crowd.

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Renowned for their 'most powerful Japanese girl band' status, SCANDAL certainly did not disappoint. The band rocked one number after another with much ease and worked the crowd with seemingly never-ending energy (often head-banging too!).

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And best of all, they sounded way, way better performing live than on CD!

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The girls seemed to be enjoying it as much as the fans, as seen from joyful faces and laughter throughout the concert. Rina was totally absorbing the fun banging on the drums while Mami was strumming in full concentration throughout the show.

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Haruna, being the superstar she was, dominated the stage with her powerful vocals and sizzling charm while fun-loving Tomomi would have probably bounced off the stage if she jumped any more than she did. 

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In a surprise move, SCANDAL then performed Happy Collector, their brand-new single featured in the upcoming movie Kyo Koi wo Hajimemasu. The band also sang the energy-filled Taiyo Scandalous, which resulted in the crowd jumping around in unison.

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In another short break, the band addressed the crowd in a mix of English and Japanese. The girls expressed that they never expected so many people to turn up and were very appreciative of the support given. The fans went wild when they uttered "Terima Kasih" to the audience.

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SCANDAL then continued with HARUKAZE – another Bleach theme – with plenty of energy, much to the delight of fans.

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SCANDAL has made quite a name for themselves in recent times after their music were picked as theme songs for animes like Bleach and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.

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They then blazed away with up-tempo beat LOVE SURVIVE and fan-favourite SCANDAL BABY, before waving goodbye to the hall full of screaming supporters. The fans of course thirsted for more, chanting, "encore! encore!", with many even using Japanese pronunciation for added effect. 

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Not too long later the SCANDALicious four returned and the crowd roared back to life, bringing decibel levels to new heights.

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The band went on to perform their new track Satisfaction, which is used in current promotions for Windows 8 in Japan. 

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To give their concert a perfect finale, SCANDAL performed one of their earliest, and most loved hits, DOLL, much to the approval of ecstatic screaming fans, who joyfully sang along.

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Haruna encouraged the crowd to sing along and even pointed the microphone to them. Tomomi on the other hand was the queen of fan-service, blowing kisses to the audience and gaining tons of screaming. The band then welcomed Rina to the front of the stage – to much applause – as she was hidden behind her drum set throughout the night.

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Mami also made hearts stop when she decided to suddenly throw her guitar pick into the audience.

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The girls ended what was quite a memorable night with the exact words every fan wants to hear: “We love you all! We will come back soon! Please wait for us!”

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Aris Tee
- Photos taken via Nikon D5000 
© 2012 raptorclans @ Aris Tee Raptorgraphy

13 comments:

Yuu said...

nice post dude.
i was there, i kinda saw my face but just a small part.
we from flew from PH to watch em.

SCANDAL Heaven rules! \m/

btw, if its not too much to ask, imma post some pic on their facebook fan page? im administrating the 4 individual pages of em. ill promote your blog too ~

cheers!

aris tee said...

Heya there...

Wow from PH? *salute*

Sure thing, share the SCANDAL love :) Just credit my name & blog~
Thanks for the promo! ^^

Which fan pages are these btw? And which one was you? hehe

Yuu said...

haha its kinda hard to see me on one of the pics.

anyways here are the pages im managing. i started making em like 1st quarter of 2011. first it was just for the sake that they have their individual pages and before i knew it the likes grew and they have tons of subscribers already xD

https://www.facebook.com/scandalharuna
https://www.facebook.com/scandaltomomi
https://www.facebook.com/scandalmami
https://www.facebook.com/scandalrina

Anonymous said...

nice report, we are fans from Singapore that flew to KL too~

adpipi said...

got to love this post a lot dude.
totally eyegasm and POOF! haha!
hope they're coming here again soon~

Flare said...

Some of the best photos from the concert I've seen so far. Simply Amazing. I've recommended the post to the Japanese fans who came~

SCANDAL HEAVEN!

aris tee said...

Thanks guys... nice to know many fans from neighbouring countries made it here too ^^

Flare: Thanks man, tried my best for our beloved girls. And much appreciate u recommending the post to the Japanese fans, they were awesome :D

Flare said...

Well, I'm proud to be in your photos too! XD

aris tee said...

really? which one was you? XD

Flare said...

I would be the guy with the orange light stick. XD

aris tee said...

ahh... I think I kinda remember seeing you ^^

qminz said...

Thank you for your fan account, i really enjoyed reading it as i was not able to join this awesome concert. *and that one of my biggest regret in 2012*

Im really happy read that the girls said they will comeback soon. I hope i can attend next time they come here.

ps: is there any Malaysia fansclub for Scandal? i would like to join if you know one^^

aris tee said...

I found out about SCANDAL Heaven when I met other fans at the concert. It's an international forum. But there's also a SCANDAL Malaysia page on Facebook you can check out...

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